2 teens charged with kidnapping held on $150K bond MAGNOLIA, (AP) — Two teenagers are being held on $150,000 bond after being charged with kidnapping. 16-year-olds Bobby Hudson and Torrie Lawrence are also charged with aggravated robbery, residential burglary, terroristic threatening and theft of property. Police say the teens forced a woman from her home and made her withdraw money from an ATM. She was eventually released unharmed near Prescott. Investigators say the teens had escaped from th...

Lottery panel’s Pickard resigns for new postLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Ben Pickard, one of the original nine members on the Arkansas Lottery Commission, is resigning so he can take a seat on the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Pickard, of Searcy, was named to the panel in 2009 by Gov. Mike Beebe. He served as chairman for a year, spanning 2012-2013. The commission announced his resignation on Thursday. Pickard was vice chancellor of student services at Arkansas State University-Be...

8-year-old boy killed in El Dorado RV fire EL DORADO (AP) — An 8-year-old boy was killed in El Dorado when a fast-moving fire swept through a recreational vehicle where he and his mother were sleeping. El Dorado fire and police officials say Jack T. Gilmore was reportedly trapped in the back of the RV when the fire broke out early Wednesday morning. The boy’s mother, Kristie Stevenson, was transported to a hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. Her injuries were non-life-threatenin...

Cotton only Arkansas congressman to oppose farm bill LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Republican Senate hopeful and U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton was the only member of Arkansas’ House delegation to vote against a nearly $100 billion-a-year farm bill on Wednesday, prompting Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor to criticize his challenger as not representing the state’s interests. Cotton, who represents south Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District, voted against the compromise measure that won House approval. Republican Reps. Tim ...

Beebe takes aim at opponents of Medicaid expansion LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Taking aim at opponents of Arkansas’ compromise Medicaid expansion, Gov. Mike Beebe on Wednesday compared ending the expanded coverage to the widespread reports of insurance policy cancellations that marked the rollout of the federal health care law. Beebe warned that the consequences would be similar, with thousands of people at risk of losing coverage if lawmakers defund the “private option” that was approved last year as ...

Panel recommends fundraising exception LITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas House panel recommended Wednesday that two members running for Congress be allowed to raise campaign funds during next month’s session, but stopped short of calling for an end to the fundraising ban for other representatives. The House Rules Committee recommended that candidates for federal office be exempted from a prohibition on campaign fundraising during the legislative session, which begins Feb. 10. The exem...

Governor backs bill keeping Darr office vacantLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said Wednesday he’d sign legislation that would allow him to avoid calling a special election to replace Lt. Gov. Mark Darr, who is set to resign this week over campaign finance and ethics violations. Beebe told reporters that legislative leaders have shown him a draft bill that would give him the discretion on whether to call the special election. House and Senate leaders say they’d rather keep the ...

Entergy Arkansas sends crews south to help in ice LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Entergy Arkansas has sent around four dozen linemen and other workers to Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to help the region deal with a winter storm. Snow and ice fell across parts of the South on Tuesday and more cold weather is expected Wednesday. Brady Aldy, the vice president of customer service for Entergy Arkansas, said the winter weather could be the most challenging in Louisiana in years. Last month, crews from Loui...

Governor warns against ending health care programNORTH LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe warned sheriffs from around the state Tuesday that new funding he has proposed for the prison system could be at risk if lawmakers halt the compromise Medicaid expansion approved last year. Facing an increasingly uphill fight to renew the “private option” expansion during next month’s legislative session, Beebe also defended his administration’s estimate of how much the state budget would have ...

After special election, panel suggests change JONESBORO (AP) — Election commissioners in Craighead County have suggested a change in Arkansas’ voter ID law, saying they received conflicting advice on how to treat absentee ballots submitted during a recent special election. The local panel said the State Board of Election Commissioners told them voters were required to present a valid form of identification when turning in ballots during a special state Senate election this month, and that...

Ex-SAU student gets 42 months in prison for theft IDABEL, Okla. (AP) — A judge in Oklahoma has sentenced a former Southern Arkansas University rodeo team member to 42 months in prison for stealing horses from the school stables in Magnolia. Jaci Jackson was also sentenced Monday to seven years of probation for her role in the theft of horses and equipment in 2011. The horses were discovered in Oklahoma — including one that had been killed — and Jackson faced charges in both states. She’s set ...

Unemployment rate dips to 7.4 percentLITTLE ROCK (AP) — State officials say Arkansas’ unemployment rate dipped slightly to 7.4 percent in December, thanks to gains in employment and an increase in the state’s labor force. The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services said Tuesday that December’s rate was down one-tenth of a percentage point from November. The agency says five sectors reported job losses in December, with the largest drop coming in leisure and hospitality position...

Overnight restriction delayed for I-40 near LR MAUMELLE (AP) — Arkansas highway crews have postponed work on a portion of Interstate 40 between Little Rock and Conway because of cold weather. A temporary concrete wall will be constructed Thursday night into Friday morning between the exit at Morgan and Maumelle and the Faulkner-Pulaski county line. The closure involves the westbound lane. Beginning Friday night, the inside lanes in each direction will be closed overnight for about two week...

Texas fugitive on run for 18 years caught in ArkansasDALLAS (AP) — A Texas man who spent 18 years on the run as a fugitive has been apprehended in Arkansas. Christopher Reuterskiold was being held without bond Tuesday in the Faulkner County jail in Arkansas. U.S. Marshals Service Senior Inspector Joshua Kaplan says the 43-year-old Reuterskiold was taken into custody Friday at his home in Greenbrier, about 40 miles north of Little Rock. Kaplan says U.S. marshals in Dallas recently received a tip ...

Madden's 24 points lift Arkansas over Auburn 86-67 FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Arkansas needed something positive to happen in the worst way in the second half against Auburn. Ky Madden provided exactly that, scoring a career-high 24 points as the Razorbacks rebounded from their recent struggles with an 86-67 win over the reeling Tigers on Saturday night. Madden, the onetime afterthought who's morphed into Arkansas' leading scorer this season, was perfect from the field in the second half while hittin...

Commission: 42 burn bans in effect across Arkansas LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Forestry Commission says burn bans are in effect in 42 counties as all of the state remains under high wildfire danger. Humidity levels across the state Sunday may be no more than 35 percent and wind gusts may exceed 10 mph, all of which can contribute to high fire activity. The highest fire danger will again take place in northern Arkansas. On Saturday, wildfires burned in the Calhoun, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Fau...

Arkansas official: Deaths from flu could top 50 LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas is at the peak of a flu season that has already killed 25 people in the state, but could see the number of flu-related deaths double in the coming weeks, the state’s epidemiologist warned lawmakers on Friday. Dr. Dirk Haselow told members of the House and Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committees that the state is investigating several additional deaths to see if they are related to the flu. Haselow said he...

Wildfire danger elevated to ’high’ LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Forestry Commission has elevated the risk of wildfires to “high” for the entire state. Burn bans are in place Friday for almost all of northwest and north-central Arkansas, with dozens of counties banning outdoor burning. A red flag warning is in effect for a number of northern counties, including those north of a line from Fayetteville to Russellville to Batesville. The National Weather Service says the region ...

Pine Bluff officer shot by fellow officer PINE BLUFF (AP) — Authorities say a Pine Bluff police officer has been treated and released from a hospital after he was accidentally shot by a fellow officer while conducting surveillance. Pine Bluff Police Lt. David Price says officers were conducting surveillance Friday morning outside the Tobacco Outlet on Camden Road because of recent burglaries at the business. According to police, another patrol unit that was doing business checks found...

Lawmakers look at rules for abortion banLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas legislators didn’t raise any objections Friday to a set of rules enforcing a state law approved last year banning most abortion 20 months into a woman’s pregnancy. With no discussion or questions, members of the House and Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committees reviewed the changes to the rules for abortion facilities that incorporate the 20-week ban. The state Board of Health is set to vote on the rules ...